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11.02.2012

{Quad Squad} Five Months!

Yesterday the babies officially hit their five-month mark! Time is starting to fly by now. Before, it ticked by slowly (sometimes painfully) with 32 feedings and 32 diaper changes every 24 hours, meaning we were sleep-deprived and smelled like formula around the clock. Now, we are down to five feedings during the day time—well, six if you count the spoon feed of rice cereal—an average of 22 diaper changes and the quads all sleep 9-10 hours at night! It's been completely and totally amazing to go to bed and wake up at 7 or 7:30am and have gotten actual sleep. We still can't believe those all-nighters are already behind us because, at the time, I could've sworn to you they were never gonna end!

So far they are all staying right on par with each other and are becoming even cuter every day, if that's even possible! All four are babbling and cooing often, Trystan being the shy one vocally and just now starting to share more and more stories with us. Here's one particularly sad saga she told me all about on the changing table...

Harrison's the only one that laughs right now and it's been a hilarious little chuckle that can make you grin from ear to ear, then he only smiles bigger back at you. I LOVE IT. It's like the best game in the world.

Everybody's been rolling over pretty well and it's so cool to see them all interacting with each other and with us. Kailey's the love bug and will smile at all of her siblings and talk to them. Logan is still undecided how she feels about giving others the time of day, though. I think Kailey will win her over eventually! They are focusing on individual objects and pulling them to their mouth now, they are able to grab for things on occasion and we work really hard on handling objects and holding our heads up during tummy/mat time.

They keep a pretty busy daily schedule, which in turn keeps mommy on the go! Thank goodness for my mom and our wonderful nanny, April, who help me keep the week running smoothly—including all the doctor appointments we have to keep up with!

The babies wake up around 7am and they lay in their cribs until about 7:30 when we start changing them and warming bottles. They eat at 8am then go back in their cribs with blankets and lots of light in the room so they can roll around, play, watch the mobiles, talk to each other and nap. They eat again at 11am and this one includes a spoon feed of rice cereal, which is really going well. I've got a separate post for that process! Then we clean them up and give them their bottle. After that feed, it's either bath time (Monday, Wednesday & Fridays) or tummy/mat time. They eat again at 2pm and usually nap pretty well in the afternoon. If they haven't had tummy/mat time, we do that or maybe take them on a walk. After their 5pm bottle, daddy's home and interacts with them, sets them in their pack-and-plays to roll around and watch their "TVs" (music players with moving parts) or they sit in their bumbo chairs for a few minutes and watch a Baby Einstein DVD!

During all of this, I answer emails, write articles for work, snap tons of photos, clean house, cook and various other tasks. Some days are more productive than others and some days I set out to do nothing more than take care of the quads. I can't feasibly mark off a to-do list every day and if I'm trying to do that it makes me feel like I'm not getting much accomplished...when, in reality, taking care of four babies on the daily is a big job!

Their 8pm bottle comes with a couple scoops of rice cereal then after everyone's burped, I read them a bedtime story. We always dim the lights and turn off the TV so it's peaceful and quiet during this feed so they start winding down and get ready to sleep. It works like a charm, they're usually getting droopy eyed before we ever pick them up to put them in their cribs. We just moved Kailey and Logan out of their rock-and-play sleepers and into the cribs. They both take Prevacid for reflux and often spit up during the night or after a feed. But as they've gotten bigger and have incorporated rice cereal into their diet, the reflux has improved and we're seeing a LOT less spit-up. Everyone gets wrapped in a Summer Infant SwaddleMe blanket (we love these things!) and falls asleep on their own. We turn on a sound machine and they have their crib music players that are on for about 25 minutes, but they're usually asleep before they turn off. Used to, we had to comfort one or two in the rocking chair after putting them down but now hardly anyone puts up a protest!

So how much am I bicep curling every day?! Trystan is still the smallest at 11lbs 6.5oz, Kailey is 12lbs 5oz, Logan is 12lbs 10.5oz and Harrison is still the heaviest at 12lbs 12oz! They are still on Similac Neosure formula, a high-calorie formula, but should be switching to "regular" formula around 6 months. Next week we'll also be introducing a second spoon feed into our daily schedule and will be starting off with applesauce! I totally stocked up on pre-made baby foods this week to make the transition easy on myself. I'll begin making my own baby food before long, especially once I figure out how I plan to freeze and store it all, and I also am about to start reading the book Super Baby Food for tips on feeding plans, recipes and more. That'll be another post once I get everything sorted out—fingers crossed it doesn't involve any explosions of pureed foods in my kitchen!

I'm still taking any questions you guys might have for my second FAQ post, so if you wanna know something about life with quadruplets, ask away in the comments section below!

14 comments:

They get cuter and cuter each time you post a picture.I think I can finally tell them apart:) I am constantly in awe on how far they have come since the day they were born,especially Harrison:)Thanks for letting me be nosey, you answered my question on their schedule, have a few more like..Do you still chart everything?Storage..with all the formula, bottles now baby food, etc have you had to do any major rearranging in the kitchen cabinets/fridge,also with all the clothing,diapers,bedding and such how much more storage have you added in the nursery.Have you thought when you will have to add 2 more cribs?Do you constantly have to move the baby swings and other equipment or do you leave it all up in your living area?And finally how are the furbabies doing, especially your elder kitty? How do you handle them being around the babies?Thanks again for sharing:)

I think Tristan and Logan look a lot alike. How can I tell them apart when looking at the photos? Do they look more like your husband? Susan (in Seattle- I found your blog through the Ishum Quads' blog and followed your family throughout your pregnancy)

My baby's favourite food was steamed sweet potato (which you can freeze) mixed with fresh avocado and some coconut oil. Coconut oil is a great fat for babies but you can leave it out if you want. Very easy to digest and so much nourishment!

Oh, once they hit six months you can add a cooked egg yolk to their food. Heaps of nutrients! I actually really enjoyed doing baby foods. I know some mothers find it a drag. Annabel Carmel has great books on feeding babies and toddlers.

Hi, Amber...I'm a random person who came across your blog and love your updates! I have two boys who are 4 and 1. I just want to comment and post on how I LOVED Super Baby Food! It helped me so much with my first one when I felt like the doctor's office (have since switched doctors) didn't help much at all. Even though my 1-yr-old eats mostly table food, I still make sure he gets his Super rice every day (usually with a fruit). My only "advice" would be - make the system work for you - even following it a little bit will be beneficial to your kids. Looking forward to hearing how it all plays out!

Hi Amber, I'm stopping by from Carla's Blog Tag Game. I'm totally amazed with your darling babies and how organized you are! WOW! You are truly blessed! Thank you for sharing your sweet little precious ones and telling the tales of raising them! I'm your newest follower. Please come over to visit me when you have a moment and I'd love if you would follow me too!

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